(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Beginning today, Nationwide Children’s Hospital will provide specialized pediatric outpatient care for the Athens community and surrounding areas at a new Close To HomeSM center. The new center that is located in OhioHealth’s O’Bleness medical office building at 26 Hospital Drive in Athens will offer convenient access to care under one roof.
The new Close To HomeSM center will offer the following clinical services:
- Cardiology
- Ear, Nose and Throat
- Gastroenterology
- Genetics
- Pulmonary
- Pediatric Surgery Clinic
- Urology
- Occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy
- Child Advocacy Center, The Center for Family Safety and Healing
- Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition
“Our clinicians are always striving to reach our patients and families right where they are, and we are thrilled we get to meet them in their own community,” said Libbey Hoang, vice president of planning and business development at Nationwide Children’s. “In order to continue to bring specialized care to southeast Ohio, we wanted to build on our partnership with Athens, OhioHealth, surrounding communities and partners.”
The Athens Close To HomeSM center will be the first location to offer nurse facilitated telehealth visits for select specialized services. Under this facilitated model of care, a patient and family would arrive at the center for an appointment. While there, a dedicated on-site nurse will check vitals, coordinate lab and imaging services as needed, and facilitate the video connection to a provider at the main campus in Columbus. Telehealth appointments will be scheduled at the discretion of care providers based on the condition and patient needs.
“OhioHealth is excited to collaborate with Nationwide Children's Hospital on the new Close To HomeSM center in our Athens medical office building," said LeeAnn Lucas-Helber, president of OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital. "The new center will provide convenient, specialized health care access to children and their families right in their backyards. Nationwide Children's and OhioHealth are committed to partnering with the community to improve health outcomes for children in southeastearn Ohio."
Nationwide Children’s School Health Professional Development & Consultation team has supported local school districts and their healthcare partners, including Alexander Local, Athens City, Nelsonville-York, Holzer, Athens Eye Care and Hopewell in their expansion of school-based clinical services since 2020. Consultation work has included expanding access to prevention programming, like PAX, the Good Behavior Game and Signs of Suicide, as well as the on-going development of a mobile vision program designed to support comprehensive eye care to at-risk students throughout the county.
Nationwide Children’s Close To HomeSM centers offer community-based diagnostic and therapeutic services for children in all stages of life, with services varying by location. With the opening of the Zanesville and Athens locations in 2024, Nationwide Children’s operates 24 Close To HomeSM centers. Plans are in development for future locations in Grove City and New Albany in the coming years.
The Athens Close To HomeSM center will operate Monday through Friday and clinics will be held by appointment only. For more information, call (740) 331-6341 or visit NationwideChildrens.org/Athens.
About Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-25 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 15,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.8 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.